Sonam Wangchuk, who was on hunger strike in protest against NEET paper leak, was admitted to the hospital by the police on the 21st day. Safdarjung Hospital said that he is weak but stable. The police removed the protesters from Jantar Mantar, on which the opposition raised questions.
Appeal not to treat without consent
Additionally, Geetanjali J Angmo, wife of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, urged doctors at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital not to give her husband any oral or intravenous treatment without the consent of his family and the medical team that was monitoring his health during his 20-day hunger strike. In a post shared on
Police removed protesters from Jantar Mantar
Meanwhile, Delhi Police removed the protesters from the protest site at Jantar Mantar after Wangchuk was admitted to the hospital. Heavy police force was seen deployed in the area and protesters were asked to vacate the place. In a post on Twitter, New Delhi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) said Wangchuk was shifted to the hospital following the directions of the Delhi High Court and on the advice of medical experts due to his deteriorating health. The DCP said, “As per the orders of the High Court and on expert medical advice, due to the deteriorating health condition of Sonam Wangchuk, she has been shifted to the hospital for necessary medical care. Following the orders of the High Court, the protesters tried to create obstruction, which resulted in little movement, however, the police exercised maximum restraint and completed the process safely.” DCP New Delhi Sachin Sharma later told reporters that Wangchuk was shifted to a hospital for urgent medical intervention. He was shifted to appropriate government hospital and was under medical observation.
Opposition raised questions on police action
This action of the police was strongly criticized by many opposition leaders. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged that the government was suppressing peaceful protests, while Trinamool Congress leader Sagarika Ghosh and Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav also condemned the action. Meanwhile, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founding president Abhijit Dipke alleged that the police forcibly took away Wangchuk and claimed that they were trying to reach the protest site. Was attacked. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das also alleged that Dipke was stopped by Delhi Police and lathi-charged on students at the protest site. There was no immediate official reaction to these allegations.
Purpose of fast and court’s instructions
Wangchuk is on a hunger strike demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged nationwide examination irregularities, including the NEET paper leak controversy. He and his supporters had also announced a march to Parliament on July 20 to press for their demands. On Thursday, the Delhi High Court had directed that Wangchuk’s medical condition be monitored daily during his hunger strike, noting that “the life of every citizen is precious and every possible effort should be made by the government authorities to save it”. The court also directed that any medical intervention required be provided based on the opinion of government doctors. (ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)